Incense Magick (18 page)

When you are ready to begin, hold the object to be cleansed in your hands. Feel its weight and the texture of its surface. This is to help you connect yourself to the object. If possible, move the item to one hand and with the other add a pinch of your cleansing incense to the charcoal or plate in your censer. Hold the object over the censer, in the smoke from the incense. Focus your concentration on the item. You may use an incantation if you would like:

Sacred smoke, cleanse this [name the item]
that it may be free of the energies of others that
it has acquired over time. Purify it as I accept
it into my life as a sacred object to be used
for my magickal workings.

If you are doing this work in a group setting, or if the tool is to be used by multiple people, you should reword the incantation to reflect that. I urge everyone to customize the words to fit with their own practices and circumstances. The best magick comes from your own heart rather than words written by a stranger. Of course, I also hope you think of me as more than just another stranger by now.

If you have multiple objects to cleanse, it is easiest to do them all in one sitting. I add a new pinch of incense for each object. As you hold the object in the smoke, visualize the smoke scrubbing the object clean. Where it once had a dull or dirty surface, the smoke turns it clean and shiny. Once clean, you will be able to touch and clearly visualize the inherent energy from the object. More powerful objects may even appear to glow during this process.

Once cleansed, the object is ready to receive your own energy impression. Designate the tool's purpose(s) in your work and concentrate on aligning its energies to your own. At this point you can physically mark the object as well as “branding” it energetically. This will mark the tool as yours (or your coven's, etc.) and leave it ready for its first use. Cleansed objects can be immediately employed in other work you plan to do.

Incense Divination

The working title of my first book was
Goddess in the Smoke
and incense divination was the meaning behind that title. Although it wasn't really a descriptive enough title for readers to know the subject matter of the book at a glance, it is a valuable working that I encourage everyone to try.

Divination is the art of seeing the unseen. It can refer to glimpsing the future, but it can also refer to the past or the present. The term “divination” is appropriate any time you attempt to gain knowledge or understanding purely through the use of magick. Incense is an excellent tool for divination. Although you can certainly use any type or scent of incense for divination, I like a blend of mugwort, white willow, and wild lettuce for this type of work. Divination works best for me when I have a very specific question in mind. You can do a “general” divination with no question selected, but interpreting the images can be far more difficult without a direction in which to go.

This work can be done inside your circle or out as you prefer. After adding a pinch of incense to your charcoal, sit comfortably where you can see the smoke easily. A single candle adjacent to your censer is a great way to highlight the smoke, but I suggest keeping the censer between you and that candle. That will provide backlighting to the smoke, which makes it easier to see. Some forms of divination require a lot of skill or experience: Tarot cards have to be understood and interpreted in a specific way, and scrying with water or a mirror can take years of practice. Incense divination can be used by anyone with minimal experience or expertise.

The process is very simple. Sit comfortably, watch the smoke, and add more incense as needed. That's it. It is somewhat akin to watching clouds in the sky. Watch the drifting smoke and look for images within it. The human mind seeks out patterns in everything we see, so your mind will search for patterns in the smoke. Much like dream interpretation, the results are quite personal to the practitioner. Two people watching the same smoke stream may see very different things or interpret things in very different ways. That's normal and natural. Just look for patterns that will answer your question.

Observing the divination is the simple part. Understanding the images and how they impact the question you have asked may require a lot of thought and reflection. When I do incense divination, I will often spend ten minutes observing and several days interpreting what I saw. If you ask about the future of your job and see an eagle in the smoke, that could have a very different meaning for you than it would for me. It might mean you are about to get a check from the government, or it could mean that you are about to soar away from your old job to something new. I often see images of deities during divination, and I try to understand what that deity has to do with the question I have asked. If you ask about a relationship and see Kali in the smoke, that might well mean that a big change is coming between you and that other person. If you see Loki, then perhaps one of the two of you are playing tricks on the other. Trust your instincts and practice this skill. It gets easier the more frequently you do it. I've found incense divination to be the easiest form for someone new to the art.

Summer Solstice Circle

This isn't a ritual but rather a circle casting. This casting can be modified for use outdoors but, as with most incense rituals, it was written for indoor use. Typically when I offer incense as part of a circle casting, I will place censers in all four quarters. This casting is a nice exception to that pattern and offers a more elaborate circle casting than many solitary practitioners use. It is easily modified for group use. It can also be modified for any type of circle. The summer solstice is used here merely as an example.

Using a hanging censer (thurible) or a censer with a handle that allows you to move the censer while in use will enhance this casting. Place one aromatic or incense blend in a container on your altar for each quarter. A single “quarter blend” could be used for all of the quarters, but I really like making a special offering to each (use aromatics that your tradition associates with each quarter, or you can consult the correspondence charts in the appendix at the end of this book). You will also need a bit of paper or cardstock (3x5 inches is perfect). Prepare your censer and complete your normal circle-casting preparations.

When you begin to cast your circle (typically in the eastern quarter) use this invocation:

Great Powers of Air
I call to you at this moment when
Earth tips closest to the sun
I ask you to come into this circle
and bring your gentle breezes
As the promise of the colder days that are to come
Bring with them your power and knowledge
That I/we may be blessed with your presence.

After completing the invocation and calling the quarter, sprinkle a pinch of the incense for that quarter onto your charcoal (or plate). If you have a censer that can be safely moved while in use, lift the censer and carry it around your altar for three complete circles. If your censer can't be safely handled while in use, simply circle the altar yourself. As you walk around your circle, feel the powers of air draw into the circle behind you. Like a wake, the energy will enter through the eastern quarter and stream in behind you. Circling the altar will mix that energy throughout your circle.

After circling three times, replace the censer on the altar and move to the next quarter (typically the southern quarter). Use an invocation similar to this one:

Great Powers of Fire
I call to you at this moment when you
are at your strongest point of the year
I ask you to bring your power and energy
into this circle on this day of honor to you
As a sign of your intensity of passion and victory
That I/we may be blessed by your presence.

Sprinkle the incense for the southern quarter onto your charcoal and circle the altar three times. As you circle the altar, see the power from the southern quarter flowing in behind you. Initially it is separate and distinct from the energy you previously pulled in, but as you continue to circle the altar, the two energies begin to blend.

Next move to the western quarter and repeat the process.

Great Powers of Water
I call to you at this moment
when you often stay hidden
I ask you to come forth on this special day
to join in this work I/we do today
As a sign of your purity and cunning
That I/we may be blessed by your presence.

Sprinkle the incense for the western quarter onto your charcoal and once again circle the altar three times. As you pull in the energy from the western quarter, you will again see the distinctive energy from the western quarter pull in as a separate energy at first. As you circle the altar, more energy will flow into your circle and begin to mix with the other energies you have already invoked.

Move to the northern quarter for the final invocation.

Great Powers of Earth
I call to you at this moment when you shine brightly from the energy given by the sun
I ask you to join in this work I/we do today
Bring your wisdom and compassion into this circle
That I/we may be blessed by your presence

Complete three circles around the altar and end back at the eastern quarter where you began. Turn back to your altar and take a pinch of each of the four incense or aromatics you have used for your quarters. Sprinkle each onto the paper or cardstock you placed on your altar. Stir them together with your finger and then fold the card lengthwise down the center, creating a trough. Sprinkle some of this mixture onto the charcoal and complete one final circle of your altar. You now have circled your altar thirteen times and have an energy-filled circle ready for any work you choose to do.

Rituals for Powdered Incense

Powders behave a little differently than loose incense. They tend to burn more evenly and as a result may produce the desirable scent for a longer period of time. This also means that you need to control the amount you use carefully if you want the incense to burn only for a short time. It is easy to overdo incense when putting powder onto charcoal.

Prosperity

You can, of course, use any aromatic or incense blend you choose for this spell. I like a powdered blend of 1 part cinnamon, 2 parts allspice, 3 parts oak moss, and 1 part calamus. Make sure that whatever blend you choose is completely powdered. If you blend the ingredients yourself, it is a good idea to sift them through a screen to ensure there are no lumps or foreign materials.

You can begin this spell after casting your circle (if you use one) and invoking any other powers, or you can leave it for the end of your work. It's always best when you can limit a circle casting to one piece of magickal work, but we all know that sometimes there is a lot of work to be done and not much time. When you do have to combine several different workings into a single ritual, this prosperity ritual can be done at any point.

Although this is intended as a prosperity spell, you should decide on exactly what form of prosperity you need. While
prosperity
often means financial prosperity, even that can come in many forms. Magick works best when it is specific, so try to narrow your focus to the one aspect of prosperity that you need the most. If money is your need, then use the word
money
. Perhaps your real need is a better job, a way to relocate, replacement of a car, or one of hundreds of other needs that fall under this heading of prosperity. For my example, I will use the generic goal of money.

Clear your mind and then focus on your goal. Apply a pinch of the incense powder to the charcoal or plate and allow the smoke to waft up your body. As you feel the scent penetrate you, visualize the successful outcome of this work. In this example, I would imagine myself looking at my bank balance and seeing the amount I need, waiting to be used. Apply a second pinch of incense and “sweep” yourself with the smoke (see chapter 6). You can feel the negative energies you have accumulated, the energies that are preventing you from reaching your prosperity goal, being driven away from you by the powerful smoke.

Add a large pinch of incense to your charcoal and stand. If you use a wand, athame, staff, or sword during your magickal work, I would point it at your censer and slowly circle the altar chanting something like:

Money, money, come to me
It is my will
So mote it be.

I would circle the altar at least three times, but you can continue for as long as you feel it is necessary. If you feel more and more energy building then, by all means, continue to chant until you feel you have reached the limit of the power you can gather. Return to the front of your altar and repeat your chant one final time. As you say “So mote it be” the final time, raise your arms and release the gathered energies to the universe. That energy will move from you, now that you have been cleared of the negative energies, into the world to help create opportunities for you. Keep in mind that no amount of magick can help you change your life if you do nothing else to further your cause. Magick can open doors and create opportunities, but it is up to you to walk through those doors and take advantage of those opportunities.

Invoking the Power of Air

As I'm sure you can tell by now, I find a lot of value in communing with the elements and gaining a personal connection with each. That is the purpose behind this working. Its primary purpose is to create a conducive atmosphere to reflect upon air, the element of the east (in my tradition). It is easily incorporated into other spell or ritual work.

For this invocation, I like to use an even mixture of lemongrass and yellow sandalwood. I think that particular blend is light, like a gentle breeze. It is a fresh scent and, when used sparingly, will never overpower your space. Remember, to take care not to overdo it when using powders.

After casting your circle, if you use one, move into this work immediately. Meditations such as this one are not only beneficial for contemplation of a particular topic, but they also help to relax your body and open your mind to other work you have planned. This example is particularly effective before doing work that benefits from a large amount of elemental energy from air.